“What do you think?” Jake’s hot breath on my ear makes me shudder.
“Is this…have you brought me to a sex club?” I ask, incredulously. But clearly Jake mistakes my shudder for a shiver, and my reluctance for intrigue because his Cheshire Cat grin only widens, and he reaches down to adjust himself.
Don’t get me wrong, I have no issue with erotic establishments or the people who wish to frequent them. As long as everyone is a consenting adult, then crack on! Enjoy yourselves, whatever revs your engine. But my engine isn’t revved. It’s currently not even turning over.
It’s not even the fact that he brought me to a sex club, it’s the fact that he hasn’t even hinted at being into this. It’s so out of the blue that I feel completely blindsided. I thought we were going to a late dinner!
He grabs my hand and starts pulling me towards the dance floor, and as we get closer, I can see there's a stage beyond the grinding crowd where a masked man is binding a woman to a frame.
“Jake, I’m confused. Why have you brought me here? Wait, no, don’t answer that. Obviously, I understand why. But why did you think this might be something I’d enjoy without any form of discussion about it?”
“Jesus, Shari,” his face immediately curls into a look of disgust, “it wouldn’t have been a surprise if I’d told you! Don’t be such a prude and get off your high horse.” He shakes his headwith derision, “I knew you’d be judgemental about this.”What the hell?
“What? I’m not judging you or anyone else in here, I’m just shocked you’d bring me here – on Valentine's day nonetheless – without ever even hinting at, at,” my arms flail as I struggle to voice my issue, “at wanting us to explore this kind of thing!”
“Oh? And what would I have said, Shari? Every time we've had sex it's beenslow down, Jake. Be gentler, Jake. I don't enjoy that, Jake!You wouldn't have even entertained giving this a shot!”
“So your solution was to just fucking bring me here and blindside me? Well,excuse mefor being gobsmacked at suddenly finding myself at an erotic group event in the middle of nowhere without ever having been asked if I’d be interested in it!”
“Un-fucking-real. Shari the saint. So set in your ways that you won’t even consider trying something new. You'd think someone who loves to read porn books would be up for anything.” Jake’s features contort further, and I feel like I’m looking at a completely different person. I guess I am, because I don't know this side of him.At all.
“Ugh, they're not porn books! And you think I won’t try new things? Did you think that I got pregnant at forty with a man almost half my age because I’m so opposed to trying new things? I might have been open to trying this with you if we’d talked about it. We could have worked up to this. You don’t even know why I’m apprehensive about being here,because we haven’t talked about it!But just dropping me in the deep end without any warning? That’s not ok, Jake.” My hands slap against my thighs when I let them drop.
“For fuck’s sake, it always comes back around to Brad, doesn’t it? Brad’s so young, Brad’s so stable, Brad’s such a good father, Brad got the sexually deviant side of me.Brad, Brad,Brad,” he singsongs like a child on a playground. “Well, Shari, if Brad’s so fucking amazing, maybe you should be with him! I’m done.” Jake starts waking backwards into the throng of revellers.
“Wait, what? Are you seriously just going to fucking leave me here while you go and hook up with some randoms? How am I supposed to get home, Jake?!”
“Not my problem!” he turns and disappears into the crowd, and I’ve never felt so vulnerable and discarded.
On the verge of tears, I yank my phone out of my bag with shaking hands and try to order an Uber as I scramble away from the dance floor. But after ten full minutes of failed attempts because we’re in the middle of actual fucking nowhere, I decide that Jaime is probably my best bet. I hate to bother any of my friends with this, especially since it’s almost an hour’s drive, but I don’t know what else to do.
The phone rings and rings until Jaime’s voicemail hits. “Uh, hey, babe. Sorry to bother you, but if you get this in the next like five minutes, can you please call me back? It’s, um, it’s quarter to ten.”
I try Elle next, but I get her voicemail, too. I don’t think she’s on a date, but she might have turned her phone off if her prick of an ex has been trying to call from prison.
There’s no point phoning Max because Dennis has whisked her away for a dirty weekend in Paris. Shit.Shit, shit, shit.
I try Jaime one more time but it goes to voicemail again, and I feel the first tear drop from my lashes. This is so fucked.
I only have one other person I can call in this situation, and I know he’ll come get me. But he’s out with Larissa, and I really don’t want to ruin their night. What else can I do, though?
Sucking in a breath to try and stave off the tears, I dial Brad’s number and he picks up on the second ring.
“Shari? Hey, is everything ok?”
I can hear the echo of voices and laughter in the background, so they must be at the skating rink. I’m powerless to stop the dam from bursting, knowing he’s interrupting his date for me.
“J-Jake took me to a se-sex c-club in the middle of no-nowhere. We got into a f-f-fight and he l-left me to go fuck s-some s-s-strangers.” I can barely get my words out, I’m sobbing so hard.
“What the fuck?? Blaze, where are you? I’m on my way.”
This only makes me cry harder because why is he so perfect?
“I d-don’t know,” I sniffle.
“Drop me your pin. I’m coming, ok? I'll drop you my pin too so you can see how far away I am. Find somewhere safe to wait for me. We’ll be there as soon as we can, I promise.”
I drop my pin as he asked and decide to hide in the ladies’ room to wait. Except after fifteen minutes of hiding in a stall, I hear several voices enter the room, and not all are female. It doesn't take long for the slapping of skin and loud moans and groans to start, and I just can't take it in my current headspace. As I try to sneak out of the cubicle, I'm spotted by one of the men whose gaze turns positively predatory.
